PRESERVING THE PAST
Struggling Glace Bay museum needs financial help.
The vice-chair of the Glace Bay Heritage Museum says they will be applying for funding through the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in hopes of reducing costs to run the museum.
Elke Ibrahim said despite not getting the significant financial support needed from the CBRM, they are going to do whatever they can to keep the museum open. “They won’t give us anything to help pay our oil bill or light bill or anything that is for operating the museum.”
Ibrahim said under the CBRM capital funding they are applying for funds to have their chimney fixed; under the operating funds, they want to buy a heat pump and have their furnace overhauled to make their heating system more energy efficient.
The CBRM has informed them these funding avenues are not meant for bills but rather for construction and maintenance issues, she said.
“We are getting estimates now.”
In a recent story in the Cape Breton Post, Ibrahim said their society was upset being turned down for a request for $40,000 in funding from the CBRM to keep the museum going.
She said they might have to turn the building back over to the municipality.
Ibrahim said the museum costs about $12,000 annually
for oil, $2,000 power, and $5,200 for insurance.
Ibrahim said the CBRM told her the building would likely be torn down if the Glace Bay Heritage Museum was handed over to them.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was expecting to hear more value given to the museum.”
Ibrahim said the Bayplex was only 20 years old and given back to the CBRM, which in turn found money to repair it.
Although rinks are important to every community, Ibrahim said museums should be as well.
“There are rinks everywhere but this is the only heritage building left in this town which contains all of the history of the town.”
As well Ibrahim said a decision was made to build a second berth to attract more tourists to this town and museums like the heritage building are what tourists come to see.
“It’s taking the whole logic away from it when then they are not supporting our local museums.”
Ibrahim said they have a dedicated board of directors.
“Ray MacAdam is our treasurer and Mary Anne MacAdam runs the gift shop and they are amazing, have been here from the beginning.”
In the meantime, Ibrahim said they will continue doing
everything possible they can to raise money from their second-hand book store and gift shop to teas, auctions, a Christmas bazaar, plant sales and yard sales.
“We will hold fundraisers all year long.”
Dist. 10 Coun. Darren Bruckschwaiger said mayor and councillor met with all the museums recently and listened to their concerns.
“It was going to go back to staff for discussion and then coming back to council,“he said. “They are all facing the same thing, it’s getting harder to raise money. It’s tough.”
Bruckschwaiger said basically all of the non-profit groups are eligible to apply for the sustainability fund. In the meantime, CBRM staff are researching other avenues of assistance for museums.
The CBRM is not taking over museums, he said.
“We aren’t in the position funding wise to take on any new buildings, museums or otherwise. All these things we support now are being reviewed on a yearly basis.”
Bruckschwaiger said Ibrahim and the other volunteers have done an amazing job with the museum.
“There are groups out there that want to help them,” he said.
“Many of the volunteers for all the museums are getting older and there needs to be a regrouping effort of volunteers to help them.”
“They are all facing the same thing, it’s getting harder to raise money. It’s tough.”
Bruckschwaiger